ManagementNews
TD Summit Shares What the Business World Can Teach Student Transporters
ByClaudia Newton
July 11, 2026
RENO, Nev. – In an anecdote-filled leadership training, branding expert Bruce Turkel leveraged his 30-plus years of business and marketing experience to advise transportation directors on becoming more customer-focused
Seeing Through Their Eyes
The cornerstone of Turkel’s presentation to a room full of transportation directors and vendor partners on day two of the TD Summit during STN EXPO West was to “figure out the difference between what you sell and what you exchange for money.” There is a deeper meaning to the former, he noted
A Domino’s Pizza executive once admitted, “I’m not in the pizza business, I’m in the problem business.” People don’t buy the product because it’s their favorite food but because it’s a convenient solution for a quick dinner or birthday party to avoid a spouse’s annoyance or a child’s tears, Turkel pointed out
The “All About Them” author added that the pupil transportation industry already correctly centers around people and specifically kids, rather than details like bus features or superlative tires
“What you sell is treating every child like your own,” he stated. “What you sell is peace of mind.”
This, he said, holds true even as technology like autonomous buses and AI routing permeate the industry. “All these things will affect what you exchange for money – none of them will affect what you sell,” Turkel declared. “You don’t buy your own products. You don’t use your own services,” he continued. “Perhaps there’s something your audience or your clients see that you don’t.”
Turkel related how he helped a top Bacardi executive see that the company needed a particular marketing strategy to sell high-end liquor to younger generations accustomed to cheaper options. He also shared how he had to see things from his wife’s perspective as a healthcare professional when purchasing a car safe enough for their kids, which led him to swap his convertible for a safety-focused Volvo
Student transporters, he noted, must consider the perspectives of parents, school boards, superintendents, financial analysts, legislators, mayors and more
Like Uber and Lyft overtook taxis and AirBnB supplanted hotels, he said, a quality service will supersede an apathetic one. Similar to market research conducted by large brands, he suggested asking parents for their input and sincerely listening since “clients and customers care about how they feel.”
“What you sell is peace of mind.”
Communicating With Clarity
Turkel advised being clear and not clever, since even the catchiest or sincerest messaging can fail if its audience doesn’t connect with it
Tracing Nike’s journey from a running shoe company to a ubiquitous brand, he explained how the “Just Do It” slogan came about in the late 1980’s to circumvent buyers’ exercise excuses by selling empowerment and potential. Student transporters must similarly reframe to understand that they empower the economy by providing access to education, he said
“You’re not moving buses, you’re not moving children, you’re moving opportunity,” Turkel stated
Parents have a lot of emotion tied up with anything relating to their children, he noted. Thus, student transporters may be able to rework or repackage their offerings without introducing anything new or “repainting the bus.”
“Hearts, then minds,” he advised. “Make an emotional connection before an intellectual connection.”
From watches to coffee to cars, some things become more than just products, Turkel explained. Fancy watches showcase wealth and legacy, whereas Starbucks stores became a third space for community, and vehicle brands came to have associations: Toyotas with reliability, Mercedes-Benz with success, Jeeps with ruggedness, Audi with design and more
For millions of families across the U.S., the yellow school bus is the face of the school system and even the city, since the driver is often the first face they see in the morning. This is a powerful reflection for transportation managers and an effective way to motivate staff to do their jobs well, Turkel suggested
Noting how an STN EXPO attendee mentioned that it’s important to avoid reassigning bus drivers, he confirmed that his childhood driver, Ms. Williams, was indeed valued by parents who would inquire after her if she was absent
“Make an emotional connection before an intellectual connection.”
– Bruce Turkel
Related: Gallery: Hands-On Training, Transportation Director Summit Related: Magician Teaches Transportation Directors About Connection at STN EXPO WestRelated: Transportation Directors Receive Rock Star Training on Driver RetentionRelated: (STN Podcast E301) STN EXPO East: Connection, Leadership & Quality Transportation ProductsRelated: Military Veterans to Share Leadership Lessons for Student Transporters at STN EXPO
Building Trust through Connection
Managing expectations helps retain trust even if problems arise, Turkel explained. When Discovery Channel expanded into the Latin American market, an executive realistically aimed to be “everyone’s second-favorite channel” by carrying low pressure but universal programming
Billing a student transportation operation as the best, fastest, cheapest, or anything similar is a mistake since “the -est always comes back to bite you,” he said
He also emphasized the importance of media training for transportation employees. He shared a stunt involving surprise cameras and a fake emergency which revealed the Guatemalan government didn’t know how to handle PR crises and ultimately led to a positive revamp of its tourism messaging
And internal consistency is so important, Turkel said his company reviewed its core tenants and fire-able offenses every week
“Any way you look at it, you can use your authentic truth to manage expectations,” Turkel said. Many problems student transporters face – cutting costs, time management, limited help and more – besiege parents too, he explained, creating another connection point between the two
While parents prioritize safe yet prompt busing, regulators care about compliance and financial managers highlight cutting costs, Turkel advised transportation directors to take a 50,000-foot view of things. By “creating universal stories,” much like Disney theme parks build on nostalgia to create loyal customers, everyone can become aligned in the mission, he added
“Reliability creates trust and trust creates value,” Turkel said, adding that value overcomes competition, objections and complications
“Any way you look at it, you can use your authentic truth to manage expectations.”
– Bruce Turkel
Leading Change with Purpose
“Change is a continual wave of moving parts that are happening all the time,” Turkel declared. Even AI isn’t the cataclysmic new thing it’s feared to be, he said. The internet, radios, movies, the printing press and other innovations were all considered radical at first, then ultimately recognized as beneficial
“It’s your job to look at things a different way,” Turkel affirmed. He cautioned that leaders especially must understand the intersection of what the company wants and what customers want, then leverage storytelling to guide everyone toward the goal
“People don’t follow instructions or leaders, they follow stories,” he added
“We don’t just bring our training, we bring our hearts,” commented LaTedra Bailey, director of transportation for Huffman Independent School District in Texas
“That’s your story right there,” Turkel told the room of student transporters
“We don’t just bring our training, we bring our hearts.”
– LaTedra Bailey, Director of Transportation, Huffman Independent School District (Texas)
Survey Stats
Prior to the start of the TD Summit, the transportation director participants took a survey indicating their fleet makeups, procurement projections and areas of focus
Almost three-quarters of districts represented run their own pupil transportation, while the rest involve contractors in some fashion. Just over 60 percent of operations transport 5,000 or fewer students. Gasoline and diesel overwhelmingly make up their top energy choices, with 40 percent choosing electric. Over half of respondents applied for federal or state funding for clean fuel buses
Non-yellow bus options came in strong, with 75 percent utilizing vans in their operations, followed by Type A buses at 67 percent, then SUVs and sedans at 63 percent. Type C and D buses came in at about 60 percent each
About 40 percent plan to spend $100,000 to $500,000 on new buses over the next year, while almost 18 percent plan to spend $1 million to $3 million. The highest concentration, 33 percent, indicated they look to spend $1,000 to $50,000 on new equipment or technology. Almost 40 percent allotted $50,000 to $250,000
Their top three challenges indicated by directors are: Driver retention and shortages, student behavior and bullying incidents, and improved driver safety and performance. The number one product category that interested them is Artificial Intelligence and Predicative Analytics
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